Transcripts For CSPAN Administration 20240706

Others on their latest books. Tonight Investigative Reporter alexder robins provides a behind the scenes look at the issues teachers are facing in the classroom today with her book. Shes interviewed. Watch after words tonight at 8 00 eastern on cspan. And now to a discussion on Public Service recruitment and career opportunities. Well hear from Energy Deputy secretary david turk and urban Development Deputy secretary adrianne todman. They spoke at an event hosted by the partnership for Public Service in washington, d. C. Good morning, everyone. On behalf of our president and c. E. O. , max, myself and all of us at the partnership, let me welcome you to todays event. My name is James Christian blockwood. Im the executive Vice President at the partnership for Public Service. First let me start just by saying thank you to all of the Public Servants that we have here in the room and the more than 500 we have joining us online. James tkpwrfrpblg as a former james as a former Civil Servant myself, i know what it means to serve firsthand. Im delighted each of you could join us for this culminating event of Public Service recognition week, 2023. This years event will feature an Exciting Panel Discussion on how federal agencies are bringing more young people into government and the experiences of emerging professionals in the federal work force. Jameschristian for more than two decades, inspiring the next generation to serve has been central to our mission here at the partnership. And in fact thats one of the main reasons that i joined the organization. As the challenges facing our country have grown larger and more complex, unfortunately public trust in our government, the only institution in my view which has the mandate, authority and resources to tackle those challenges, has frayed. Regaining this trust requires more from our government. But it will not be able to solve problems and meet the needs of the public without a strong civil service. And unfortunately our government has a growing talent deficit. Just 7 of federal employees are under the age of 30. Compared with 20 in the broader labor market. And this age group also saw declining scores in our 2022 best places to work in federal government rankings, which measure how Public Servants view their jobs and their workplaces. Still, we know from our work here at the partnership that government is full of rich and rewarding opportunities for young people. Now, this is the part of my remarks where i wanted to share some personal reflections as to why i joined government. And i was reminded by elements that make good remarks, which is to be brief, to be inspirational and to be funny. [laughter] and so i thought about what i could do and maybe i could borrow some material from my children. But they get most of their jokes from a book thats titled best kids jokes ever and theyre also 7, 5 and 3. So im not going to do that. [laughter] and then i thought in my own whitt that i would actually start by saying, of course you all know the number one reason i joined was pay. I would pause for dramatic effect. [laughter] wait for the room to laugh. And then i thought about it and i want to start with pay actually. And that is one of the reasons i joined federal service. Now, its not to become wealthy. And nor do i think any Public Servant should become wealthy off their service, but it is a point i wanted to make that you can have a respectable career and one can provide for themselves and, over time, for their family through federal service. The second point that drew me to Public Service were my parents. I was very fortunate. I have a father that served in the u. S. Military and he continues to serve as a Civil Servant in government right now. And i have a mother who taught me what it was like to take pride in serving others. And importantly, serving your community. So at a very early age i introduced to the concept of service and this drew me to wanting to join our government. The third reason was i didnt know what i wanted to do, but i knew i wanted to do something meaningful and i wanted to have an impact. And you can do that through federal service. For my first day at the department of tkaef to my last defense to my last day and every day in between, i truly believed i was able to have an impact on the people around me and the american public. I was also able to be able to see and experience the world like no one can except in federal service. So if thats not enough, i was going to add that i was able to meet one of the brightest, smartest, most talented, most Beautiful People that i know on this earth, my wife, because of federal service. And if my personal appeal wasnt enough, let me say, this week we honored some of our emerging leaders finalists. These are individuals in a category that are 35 and under and have made incredible contributions to our country. So there was a team that helped the way for release of american prisoners wrongfully detained in russia and ventilators. Theres an venezuela. Theres an individual who has helped save the u. S. Apple industry millions by showing farmers how to use natural predators against bugs that damage crops. And theres another individual who launched an Innovation Center thats been updating military equipment that hadnt been done since the 1980s and another individual who helped launch a Campaign Working with airlines and airports to identify and eventually prosecute those committing human trafficking. Stories like this only scratch the surface of what a career in government can offer. And at the partnership, we try to promote these opportunities in a number of ways. Through go government, a digital onestopshop for people interested in applying for and securing federal employment. Through our call to serve network, a community of about 700 colleges and universities working to recruit the next generation of Public Servants. And through our new federal advisor certificate program, which helps Higher Education professionals gain expertise in the federal hiring process. And many other ways, we try to do that at the partnership. So now to the more informative and important part of our discussion today, im delighted to be joined by two leaders who are at the forefront of bringing more young people into government. Adrianne todman, deputy secretary of the department of housing and urban development. David turk, deputy secretary at the department of energy. And they are joined by melissa sullivan, a Public Affairs officer at the Environmental Protection agency. And andrea jones, founder of the h. U. D. Synergy innovation will be a. Theyll lab. Finally, im grateful to introduce our moderator for this discussion, kathryn, opinion columnist at the washington post. And many thanks to her for guiding this todays conversation and for supporting our efforts to build and celebrate a robust Public Service. And while i can end my remarks here, let me just say one more time to the Public Servants in the room, thank you for your service and for those who are going to be inspired by our panel, let me just remind you there is no more noble, respectful and honorable career endeavor you can take than federal service. Thank you and over to you. [applause] thanks so much for that kind introduction. Im delighted to be here. This is an issue near and dear to my heart. I write a lot about the economy, but also the institutions that underpin u. S. Democracy and kind of the crisis of trust that has occurred in many of them and how do we rebuild that trust . And earn it . Right . Thats true for my industry, media, but its also true for the institutions of government. So im delighted to be with this esteemed panel to talk a little bit about how we rebuild a lot of these institutions through accumulating more of the most valuable resource there is, people. And in particular how we attract or how agencies can do more to attract younger talent into those pipelines. Catherine i was thinking we might start just by having each of you talk a little bit about your entry point into Public Service, how did you come to this job, were you in the private sector, you have always been in the Public Sector . And are there things that you know now about Public Service that you wish you had known then. Good morning, everyone. Again, thank you for moderating and thank you to the partnership for the invitation and pulling this together. So, prior to this job, i was the c. E. O. Of the National Association of housing and Development Officials which was a National Nonprofit organization built around helping housers and Community Developers just build stronger cities and counties and states. But prior to that, i had decades of Public Service opportunities. I first came to washington, d. C. , as a junior in high school. Adrianne and fell in love with the landscape here. I was in a Great Program called closeup, if some of you are familiar with that. Then had an opportunity to intern on the hill. My first entry point into government was a good oldfashioned internship up on capitol hill. And that led to my first tour at h. U. D. In the 1990s. And the thousanding authority and now im here the Housing Authority and now im here. So its been quite the journey. In terms of what would i do differently or something i would tell my quiet younger self, i always so for this moment, i decided to do something brave and look at my High School Year book. [laughter] because we think we remember ourselves when we were young until youre faced with the bold honest truth of things that you were when you were 18 and 19, 17. And so this is only for the brave and you should do this with much caution. But apparently i was going to be a lawyer. And but my one quote in my High School Year book was, anything is possible. So i decided that at that point i knew that things will happen and i will learn from it and take opportunities where they come. But i always knew, even then, that Public Service was something that i wanted to do. I enjoyed my journey. David so tough to top that. [laughter] that was really, really cool, adrianne. And just a phenomenal colleague. Adriannes part of a deputy group of all of us around the interagency and just a phenomenal leader and phenomenal thanks, its always great to do something. Thanks for doing this and thanks for the partnership as well for all the work you do day in and day out. So i grew up in a small town in the midwest. My parents are both teachers and educators and so it was very public spirit, public oriented household, as i suspect we get a lot of our values from our parents in particular and close family Members Around us. I had a chance to come to d. C. In college and as an intern and i think a lot of people get their kind of first opportunities, experiences working at the National Oceanic and atmospheric administration, noaa, and the department of commerce. I was always very interested in Climate Change and Environmental Issues more generally. And it was just an eye opener. Especially from a kid who grew up in a small town, we didnt have all sorts of fancy things at my high school or other kinds of programs like that. And the thing i was impressed with was the caliber of the people that i was working with. But truly the passion and the commitment. So i was working for a program called the National Marine sanctuaries program and it was folks who, incredibly interesting people, and incredibly passionate about making sure that were protecting in that instance our Marine Resources and assets in the communities that depended on that. And it was just really cool and interesting. And it goes to our opening speaker, thanks jameschristian, really, really helpful, one thing you said there was, weve got problems, weve got challenges in society, you write about this all the time, and the government, democracy, if you want to put it that way, that is our mechanism for stepping up and dealing with those challenges. And if its not going to be the u. S. Government and people in the u. S. Government, i dont think its going to get done. Not only on our national issues, but our international issues. Ive devoted much of my career on Climate Change. If beas a federal government we as a federal government, the people in the federal government dont lead, then its not going to get done. And the world will be a much, much worse place for it. So its just inspiring. Its just cool and we have to pay enough so that you can make a living and support your family, as the president talks about the dignity of the job. But its really that bigger fulfillment of doing something beyond yourself, working with other incredibly talented folks and thats been my experience. What i would tell my earlier self is, like, dont get so stressed out, dont get so worked up over things. Be open to opportunities. And i think in particular a job that may look really cool on paper, if youre working with assholes is not a job worth taking. [laughter] so the people you work with and really respecting the people you work with, i work for a phenomenal secretary, secretary grandholm, who is the same in private as you get in public. One of those people, the people i work with at the department of energy, incredibly passionate and teamoriented. And be really careful who you work for, work with and who works for you. Like that makes all difference in the world. Andrea hello, everyone. My name is andrea jones. I am the h. U. D. Synergy eninnovation founder to. Answer your question about the journey to Public Service, it started in new york. I was a city of new york employee for several years. And upon moving down here, i became a government contractor. And i worked for fema, for n. S. A. , a number of different agencies. But through that i figured out what the real the real opportunities in the government. And so thats when i turned to h. U. D. And applied and said, can i make something happen there . And then can i direct the contractors, because i was on the other side, direct them in a way so we can make things happen . So this allowed me to get the opportunity to do that. And what would i say to my younger self . I would say, you are enough. Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves about, you know, how we show up sometimes you are enough and you need to step into your fullness so you have yourselves to give to Public Service. And i will add to that passion when year showing youre showing up as yourself and keep your eyes open for different opportunities. It may be a lot of work, but those opportunity, once you take advantage of them, it goes with you for rest of your career and you build upon that for your future self, for the Amazing Things youre going to do. Melissa im a press officer for the e. P. A. And ive had that role for four years. I came into federal service from the campaign side. So im born and raised in miami, florida. Im first generation latina. I am a queer woman. And ive really found a home in the federal government, a place where i can be all of my different identities. Im also a Military Spouse and so ive really enjoyed my career in Public Service. So i came from the campaign side, as i mentioned and my first paid position was a very rare paid Senate Internship or one of the best Public Servant for one of the best Public Servants i know, senator jack reid reed. I moved throughout the government. I worked on the Veterans Affairs committee and i did two terms at themy Americorps Service which led me back to the e. P. A. I definitely echo my colleagues sentimentses about being sentimentses about being kind to yourself but most importantly realizing its ok to ask for help. My younger self, especially being first generation, i felt a lot of pressure to be successful and i had a very narrow definition of what that looked like. And i tried to take everything on my own shoulders and, good and bad it, builds character, but i also realized that things would have been a lot smoother and easier if i would have leaned on mentors and those who had come before me and learned from their wisdom and their mistakes rather than trying to take everything on on myself. Catherine i want to talk a little bit about what the obstacles are right now to recruiting younger talent. And to what extent they might be different from the obstacles around rekraougt midcareer or recruiting midcareer or more senior workers. So why dont we start again with you. Andrea one of the things im very proud of that were adrianne one of the things im very proud of that were doing at h. U. D. Is trying to get new talent and younger individuals interested in Public Service and particularly Public Service at our department. We recrueltied and landed about 40 interns last year. I told the team, weve got to up that number. And so we made a goal of 50 interns this year and now weve exceeded that goal and theres over 100 interns that actually will be joining us at h. U. D. So im very happy. Thank you for that. [applause] and half of those interns are in partnership with the partnership and we also have a whole cadre of our president ial management fellows. So we really believe in leaning in and trying to encourage individuals to join us at h. U. D. I think where theres probably room to improve, and we talk about this often as deputies, is trying to make access into the federal government something that feels a little bit seamless and more like private sector access. Catherine can you say more about you what mean way in . Adrianne sure. If applying for a job in the federal government, some would say, a a very difficult thing to do. And i think that as deputies weve had honest conversations about ways to improve that. Particularly folks who are more digital native may not be used to the clunkier style of ways that we gain talent in the federal government. The good news is that the mighty deputies and our president s Management Council are working to try to find ways to improve that with the leadership over at o. P. M. And at o. M. B. I also think that to the point you made earlier, encouraging folks to have trust in government and they will actually be able to make a difference. Im so happy that deandr aefrbgs is here and other people at h. U. D. We try lift them up as well as things that folks want to come into Public Service have an opportunity to see that if they dream it, they can actually do it. And theyll have the authority to make decisions and make it work. Catherine how realistic is that promise . Adrianne its pretty real. I will say, you know, i remember being 22 years old, working on capitol hill, helping to write laws. Wow. Think my first tour at h. U. D. , i had the opportunity to create brand new programs and have a seat at the table. So i think provided that there is Senior Leadership and management that care in the Decision Making of people entering into the federal system, its very possible. On the positive side, the missions of our department. Department of energy, we are trying to save the planet in terms of Climate Change and ruling out the phenomenal tools. Congress gave us 100 billion in a whole different programs, our staff is designing those programs and incredibly well and intention National Kind of ways. So it is a pretty significant draw. What we have to do is lower the entries to barrier and make it easier for everybody and i mean everybody, not just the people who go to fancy schools and family connections but for everybody to have the opportunities. Internships is a big part of it and expose kids for opportunities. I had no idea what a job doing x, y, z. Took an internship to meet. People are incredibly friendly. Those who feel passionate are more than willing to spend time with an 18yearold kid who is asking for an informational interview. There are a bunch of things we can do. Secondly, not only in our department, i think what we have to have is significant amount of mobility once you get into the government. Have opportunities to excel, have opportunities to be promoted. I dont think our government needs to have opportunities from one department to another department let alone from one department to another department. The biggest issues are accidents. It would be great and have that mobility and have that opportunity so entrepreneurs, some of the best entrepreneurs that i have ever seen have been Civil Servants in the government who are entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs and try to do good things not in terms of making money, which is ok. As long as you are doing good things for society. And last piece, which i think is important, i dont think we do as good a job on, good to be in government, out of government, going to an n. G. O. , back in government. And i dont think we have a system for people who want to try a different things. The government will benefit from that. And there are a number of things we can improve on, too, i think. What i would say, the first thing is to look at the people we already have. We do some amazing work, the government as a whole, particularly h. U. D. And sometimes we have be the advocates and say you can be part of this amazing work and just to educate them on what the federal government does, federal service does, how it shows up in our neighborhoods. And right now, especially with this particular age group, they live by their heart. And thats where Public Service is, people led by the heart. People that go the extra mile and say how can i help you. Even in the innovation lab, thats what we do. We make sure we watch out across the United States. The other thing we do is in the Fellows Program we actually give opportunities to people no matter grade what you are. Once you come in and say you want to advance this innovation challenge and you have something to bring to the table, we want you. If i was going to encourage a young person if they want to look for a good job in Public Service. Absolutely. And get a mentor. You can get a mentor before you join. We have people that are accessible to say can i have a 20minute discussion about federal service. And what they will find it it is bigger and grander than they ever imagined and the partnerships with different agencies, even across h. U. D. And with each other to create h. U. D. Is intentional about creating that sense of belonging so no one gets lost. Doing a great job of meeting the next generation of where they are and our administrator, he is the product of an ever hc bmp u and first black man to lead the agency and we do recruitment targeting different minorities and different ethnicities and speaking to them why they belong, specifically at e. P. A. And mentioning the benefits of federal service and where they fit at e. P. A. And we have been successful at a number of events and continue to have them and write the administrator and others who started their career and now leading the agency. The question i had asked is what the obstacles are. And two things that were not mentioned that i thought was going to come up, pay differential relative to the private sector and the other is well, actually three, pay, remote work, remote hybrid work and as well as reputational and there has been hostility towards Public Service in recent years. I wonder if those things didnt come up because they are not an issue or didnt come up because they are beyond your control so they are not what you focus on. As it comes to pay, at the end of the day, you are going to have individuals who want to go to wall street and thats what they want. They are going to invest their time is really money and want to retire when they are 31 and thats ok. Thats ok. I do think there are other people who that might not be that for them. You can pay your bills, your mortgage, but still give back and have a passion creating change. As it relates to telework and remote work, i think we as a country, global community, we are still trying to figure it out. We had an intern and said he wanted to intern at h. U. D. Is that we wanted it to be an inperson experience for him and at his age he needed that opportunity to really collaborate with folks. So these are all tricky things, none of which are exclusive to joining the Public Sector. I do something that is across all sectors given the experience we have had the past couple of years. Just to add on, on the pay issue, i guess it depends on what you think you need or want out of life. I have been in the government actually worked in congress for eight years, did a clerkship and also now in the executive branch and worked in all three branches. I have always felt like i could earn enough what i needed to do for my family. We have our oldest daughter going to college next year, and there is definitely more we could be doing and should be doing to be as competitive on that and great to have the congressional support and make sure we can be as competitive as possible along those lines. I guess it depends how big of a house you want to have. When the security detail came over to my house to make sure i wasnt bugged or whatever they do and they said, david, it will take three hours. They came to our house. We live in ken sing ton, maryland, and took 30 minutes. [laughter] thats great. And no worries on that. The other two parts that i think are incredibly important here we are i think everyone, Public Sector, private sector, what is the workplace of the future, how to create environments that people want to be in the office so they can develop those relationships, make sure we are not only daytoday, but giving back to the organization, giving back to the young people who are coming into an organization. It is incredibly tough to come in fully remote and not have that personal connection or sense of team work along those lines. And then in terms of the reputation difference, it depends on your values along those lines. Earlier in my career, i worked for the state department a couple of times. And the first time i sat behind a plaque adder, the United States and i was representing all of you in an International Conference and i felt an immense amount of pride and i felt nervous, too, to not screw up and Say Something that wouldnt be appropriate. But the immense amount of pride to be our government. Our government hasnt done everything great but we are a force in the world. I cant say the same thing about other governments, immense amount of pride. And if i were to compare some of the experiences i had versus someone working at google or microsoft with kids are playing on, representing the u. S. Government is for my value and values that are shared from a lot of people, more valuable. And we should recognize that. It is important to have a partnership that are elevates that are terrific careers. And where can you go when you can move from one place to another and not miss a paycheck. I think that is a benefit, right. Not only a promotion, but make sure you have some continuity especially if you have kids in the house, thats very, very important to most people. And i would say sometimes you can do something maybe to push forward the mission on the side that gives you fulfillment. Sometimes you are making the money and not fulfilled. We are looking at improving the quality of life for yourself. Definitely consider working for the federal government, because it does just that. Solutions to the challenges are above my pay grade but i have benefited from remote flexibility. Unfortunately what i do is electronicically. And i have the ability to be fully remote since covid dpan and something i enjoy. While my situation might be unique, and those flexibilities exist within agencies and departments. Question specifically, do you have a lot of friends who work in the private sector . And if so, how do they think about your job or the kind of work you do or have you talked to them about your work . I would say i have a lot of friends in the private space. They are odd and say you are doing good work. When i talk about the program i run, they realize that you are lighting up. I never seen light up talking about the work that they do and im thinking about the impact that i have on my colleagues and the impact on the people we serve. When you feel like you are doing something worthy, impactful and even when i look at the fellows that are in the cohorts, it is nondiscriminatory, you can be at h. U. D. For three months and your application and you could make a difference in the way you never dreamed of. I had that comment said to me from people for 27 years and also people that have been in the federal government for three months. Opportunity is there. And i think, again, what you said when you know people in the private sector, you have the opportunity to collaborate. Because i have been saying how can i help you do what you do better. So i think they look for partnership, because they know they see the federal government showing up where they are, where there is disaster. And they are looking for partnerships. Sometimes they are looking for a job. That is very true and also looking for partnership, how can i help you do what you do and i want to be a part of that because they want to feel that Public Service feeling that i contributed to the lives of others. Most of my network is either serving in the military, federal government or other capacities and there is that spirit of shared values. I come from a family of entrepreneurs and im on the opposite side when it comes to being in the federal government and having the security and stability. So having those values and also being able to do something larger than yourself is something really special. Another question about the panel is the bigger problem recruiting talent or retaining talent . Or are they equally different . And do they have the same or Different Solutions . Do you want to start this time . [laughter] you know, i think they both can be challenging but they also present opportunities. We have discussed some of the challenges to entry. Retention can become difficult. I always say that folks show up for the job and stay for the culture. And one of the things as deputy secretary of h. U. D. , i have been really focused on is making sure there is rich engagement and folks feel from the first day they are stepping in that they are a part of something bigger than themselves. We started out a Pilot Program in our local offices that is on boarding not just your typical Social Security card and birth certificate, it is teaching folks about h. U. D. We tend to get in our silos and not appreciate the breadth. And we began a pilot to learn the space of the entierp department and meet who their peers are because it gets to some of the things, oh, wait, i landed here, but maybe i can go to Health Care Financing to other part of h. U. D. I think it is they are both challenging, but they provide rich opportunities to those of us who are charged with both aspects to make a change. Are we perfect yet . No. But we are making strides, wouldnt you say . To give you a couple of examples of what we are doing, but its actually true as well. So on the recruitment side, we with all this new Funding Congress has given us to work on the Clean Energy Transition we operated the Korean Energy core and Congress Gave us hiring authority and had a single portal if you want to work at the department of energy on these Clean Energy Efforts and you fill out an application and it goes into a pool. We ended up gettings ing tens of thousands of applications and shows the drawing power of the mission. Certainly on Clean Energy Issues and we have hired over 500 people and all the people who are hiring have this one group they can look to, find the resume and find quality candidates and make it quicker, easier, and shorter how long it takes to go through the federal hiring process. You reduce those entries and number of different ways and examples throughout the federal government that we need to learn from and replicate and expand. On the recruitment side, i think we are making some progress but need to do a lot better. My wife teasees me, if you look at my resume, i have switched jobs two, three, four years and we are encouraging that, have the procedures and mechanisms for folks. I often tell people when they come to me, like younger colleagues, i have this opportunity, i usually say yes. But i think that you need to be looking out for, if you feel too comfortable in your job, that probably means you need an additional challenge. You should have a good nervousness, a good excitement, like holy crap, am i really up for this and say you are up for it and challenging yourself. Thats the way we recruit people, we have active managers and procedures and members of the committee nimples in place if someone is doing debate work here, but they need a challenge, they need an additional. And as we need to do so people can grow and have the opportunity here, here and take that next step. Melissa you mentioned earlier one aspect of working for the federal government is you bring these different aspects of your identity to the job. I think a lot of people who dont have exposure to your workplace cultural might find it surprising in the sense that perception of government is that Older Work Force and some of the values that you talked about are things more valid by the younger work force. Could you talk a little bit about what is the people that you work with, are they mostly your age, mostly senior, how much does that matter . And how do you convince you know, people from different generations who have different values how to put this, different expectations about how people exist in the workplace to be more flexible . Absolutely. I am one of the younger individuals in my office. And e. P. A. On the whole i believe is the third oldest work force in the federal government which comes to challenges, talking about retirement and filling those back ranks. So it is a challenge that we are aware of and working to combat. In terms of how do you create and include the culture of diversity that values different identities, it comes from the top. Administrator michael regan, he is in his 40s and is a product of an hcbu and brings it to our position and instilling those values and making it a priority for everyone to be accepted at e. P. A. We have different employee groups and we celebrate throughout the year, may is asianpacificislander month. Next month is hg bets. And we have we have learning events and people who are part of those communities share with the work force and something that the work force values in learning from others and making people feel included. We will do it for pride month. We raised the pride flag and first time that it happened in the federal government and that was. And people like me and others feel accepted especially when you think of the government and hasnt been the best for certain communities. In the 1930s there was laugh endear who were gay and less byian were purged from government roles. To have these events by federal agencies celebrating this community is a huge deal in terms of diversity and acceptance. We have this program called under five. That you were with h. U. D. Under five years. Its not like a dependent or anything like that. I think any under five group they meet you so you can be educated, who they can reach out to and other things they are eligible for. And sometimes we work in our silos but the under five group at h. U. D. , it gives you the opportunity to go across programs because oftentimes you are in a particular program. This under five is across h. U. D. , across the nation. And sometimes that helps you feel not alone and that sense of belonging and not only the entry level, not only 22, 23 years old but 55 years old. It is about mentoring up and down and create that place of you matter, place of trust, that keeps people in the federal government when you have those connections and you want to go for that promotion, you have the ability to reach out to someone across your agency to say what is it like doing this work . And they may decide, wow im going to apply. Creating that Community Keeps people here. And that place of community when you graduate from that and become an alam. You alum and reach forward to the people who are not part of that. So again, to create like an ecosystem, to create a community of practice that one, you are not alone but two, work with you to reach your goals. I love to take a question from the audience. Employee if you cannot put food in your refrigerator. The role of government as a model and as a funder and internships, whether they are paid or unpaid. None fort internships are paid. Underline the importance, if you want to make these opportunities available for everybody, you have to make them available for everybody including those who cant afford to not get. The internship was a paid internship but i had the opportunity which was cyr changing. In reference to internships. If thats your first job, the federal government pays well for a first job and thats also things to consider. If you get an internship at a federal agency, it is a good job and you get raises and you have a path forward to permanency at a department. If someone is looking for employment the first time, look at the federal service. We even pay for transportation, your metro card. There are certain perks you may not receive at another private Industry Firm and thats one of the things we need to do a better job of amplifying across the United States. What are the perks at working at h. U. D. , moving around the world. Who do you meet . Sometimes you dont meet some people unless you are with a federal government agency. We need to do a better job of amplifying some of those benefits coming on board. Thank you all for this. Im the executive director representing several colleges. Oftentimes we need a lot of internships are paid. But one of the things we run into is when they need to have an internship local in place that is in d. C. They cant afford to live here. They are paid, but dont have a place to stay. So, any conversation about that . I would love to hear your thoughts of what you can work with that situation. And ill leave it at that. Housing is the name in our department. [laughter] i think thats a challenge if you are not in d. C. , the ability to live where you work particularly if thats an opportunity that is in person and one of the reasons why you see a trend toward paid internship. Rents are high and getting higher in certain parts of the country these days. What i found that often works is that the persontoperson hand holding yes, we want you to be part of this internship and talk about your Housing Needs and different nonprofits, different groups that provide opportunities. My almamater is well known when a student is coming into another area, d. C. , San Francisco or l. A. , they are open having that intern stay with them. But i i do think that part of the challenge is making sure that as we are looking for folks who want to join the federal government, how meeting those interns where they are at and we are trying to do a better job of having full transparency of what the full cost of the internship is and not carrying that expand opportunities to provide other outlets for housing. We have a related question from online audience, how can i get entry level internship. Are there other areas that i work outside the ddz area. He eep. Gov careers. And there will be information about events and tutorials how to navigate jobs. I came in through a side door and didnt have to go through u. S. A. And went through americorps and i was able to get hired. Take advantage of all those resources because they do exist and will make a tremendous difference in getting into federal service. We similarly at the department of energy have information that is user friendly and acceptable, but there is no substitute for the informational interview and just to reach out. I have seen people in my own career have been responsive when i didnt know them that well, and i said a friend of a friend recommended that i talk to you. It takes some leg work. It isnt easy and nerves to know you are worthy of someones time for a half an hour and that can be tough for some of us growing up. I found especially in the government and especially in Public Service, i know i have relied on so many people as mentors to give me guidance. Do the extra work. Sit down with someone. Maybe one time it is not that helpful. But one out of five may be helpful. It takes some additional legwork and helpful to do that and you get a lot of good inside information and try to figure out. Our partners at o. P. M. Centralized the information for all of our internships. If you go to their website, you will get to see interns. We have time for one more question. Is there any push to expedite the hiring process . [laughter] many people dont hear that from us before they interview. The short answer is yes and using the congressional flexibilities including the Clean Energy Corps piece where we have expedited hiring authorities and trying to shrink the time periods as much as we can, because if you have a kickbutt person and takes forever, they may go somewhere else. So this is something you have to have the authorities first from congress to be able to do it and take advantage of those authorities and as in Everything Else in life it is execution and making sure the h. R. Is leaning in to make sure you shrink those time periods down. It is a work in progress but we are making some progress. When i got to h. U. D. , our time to hire was probably just over 100 days and got it down to under 80. And thats just the endtoend. It can be improved and will be improved. And in addition, it is deputies and managers making sure we are executing as david said and tying up loose ends. If we get an interview and making sure we are getting folks. Address a security clearance check, just move, move, move. And some of that urgency comes from the top. And i will say that our friends at o. M. B. Have made it clear to all of us deputies the expectation to work with urgency to get the right talent in the door quickly. One quick question just to clarify something. You have advice for people who dont have connection, a friend of a friend in government. Who would be receptive to meeting with a potential job candidate. My advise is just start anywhere and your network grows. And when you have a meeting and there is a connection, ask the question explicitly, are there other folks you would recommend. I have been pleased in my own career and we are trying to pay it forward for that next generation. Someone may be rude to you, if it is, it is their fault. Dont just sit from, how am i who is the perfect person for me to meet with. The more you do so, the bigger the network adds to that. Hopefully you are on linkedin and search. You are able to connect. But also you see an agency is in attendance, please attend. I like to talk to you, maybe you go there and dont have the exact job you are looking for but the opportunity to talk with someone within the department and ask that question, someone else to talk to because that could be a future opportunity, maybe not a rightnow opportunity. Maybe some ways to connect within the organization that you want to work. Thank you so much for our panel and your Great Questions and online. I really hope you enjoyed this. [applause] [applause] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2023] captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org. Fridays at 8 p. M. , cspan brings you after words where authors are interviewed on their latest books. Alexande robins and the issues teachers are facing. She is interviewed by education staff writer. Watch tonight at 8 00 eastern on cspan. Saturd on cspan, florida veor is the featured guest at a picnic hosteby house publican congressman. Later in the evening, a cpan 2024 coverageith donald trump headlining a rally in des moines. And watch on cspannow or online at cspan. Org. Sunday on q and a cal thomas, a watch man in the night and describes how politics have changed over the years. We never had a divorced president or a president who was married to somebody who had been divorced until gerald and betty ford and reagan divorced and we had to tolerate clint rate. And here is trump, on wife number three or four, i lost count and all of these accusations made against him. Character overcomes Everything Else and i am certainly not supporting him in the next election. I hope someone younger and better qualities gets the nomination. A watch man in the night on sunday on q and a. Several former